<< I brought the Speedwell to a Cirque some years ago and a few rode it. John Pergolizzi hopped on it an jammed down the road by the Lewis Center. On dismounting, he said it was the most frightening bike he'd ever ridden. Perhaps a bit hyperbolic, but you should have seen him thrashing it. >>
See Charlie's bike in the last 5 pictures on this page:
http://www.classicrendezvous.com/
Dale Brown Greensvbsboro, North Carolina USA
-----Original Message----- From: youngc@ptd.net To: Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Sent: Wed, Jun 24, 2009 11:00 am Subject: Re: [CR] Speedwell Titanium 1973 riding characteristics
Seeing no posts reporting riding characteristics of the Speedwell, I'll offer some impressions (with caveats). I have a Speedwell Titalite with original fork and a Teledyne Titan with a ca. '77 Trek top model racing steel fork. The Titan came to me sans fork and I understand that undesirable handling of the Teledyne Ti fork lead to replacement with steel by some riders back in the day.
The Titan, while probably as limber as my ALANs, feels very solid relative the Speedwell. Tracking of the Speedwell under strong pedaling inputs can best be described as serpentine. You can see the bottom bracket swaying. I brought the Speedwell to a Cirque some years ago and a few rode it. John Pergolizzi hopped on it an jammed down the road by the Lewis Center. On dismounting, he said it was the most frightening bike he'd ever ridden. Perhaps a bit hyperbolic, but you should have seen him thrashing it. I have it set up as a time trial bike and think that, if ridden with a good deal of supplesse, it is quite a bit of fun.
If there is interest, I'll bring it to the next Cirque for the curious (and insufficiently risk-averse) folks that want to experience the ride.
Charlie "also sways at times" Young Honey Brook, PA
On Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:23:43 -0700, Steve Whitting <ciocc_cat@yahoo.com>
wrote:
> Just wonder how the Speedwell compared to the later Teledyne Titan
titanium
> frame.? I recall reading about the Teledyne Titan in?a mid-1970s issue of
> Bicycling magazine.? I remember it (supposedly) being lighter than a
> comparable Reynolds 531 or Columbus SL frame, but a lot more expensive .
.
> .
>
> Steve Whitting
> Prairieville, Louisiana USA
> http://ciocc-cat.angelfire.com/